Therapy
by spiceXisXnice
Summary: Mostly something written for me. Jack's been dealing with a lot latey, and he's not sure how to handle it. The nightmares were always there to haunt him. JackXKim, rated T for bloody scenes


Okay, Tachzaruu, this one's for you.

This was written during one of my dark phases (like 'Miracle' and the second chapter of 'Control') and this is more of a therapy thing for me then entertainment. If you like it, great, review, if you don't like it, bite me, but review anyways. Yes, I accept flames. Enjoy!

THERAPYTHERAPYTHERAPY

Jack touched down in the cold, arctic landscape and began looking for the Earring of Hearing. Of course, the Xiaolin dragons were right behind him, so he had to look fast. Omi found it first, as soon as he'd found it. He growled.

"Jack Spicer, I challenge you to a Xiaolin showdown!"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," said Jack impatiently. His watch went off.

"The challenge is…" started Omi.

"Save it, cheese ball! Keep the Wu. I got to go," he said. He dropped his side of the earring and activated his heli-bot. He sped off, leaving the Dragons in a daze.

"Where's he going in such a hurry?" asked Rai.

"Let's follow him," said Kimiko determinedly. They all hopped on Dojo and followed him.

THERAPYTHERAPYTHERAPY

"Sorry I'm late, Angela," panted Jack, running into the room.

His therapist, Dr. Angela Field, just smiled at him. "No worries, Jack, only by five minutes. Any new paintings to show me, Jack?"

He shook his head. "I didn't have time to run by the house before getting here."

"I've got your easel set up over there, if you want to paint while we talk." She pointed to a simple wood easel with a box of pints and paper beside it. Jack squealed and scrambled over, propping a matted paper on the easel and pulling out a palate. He squirted some paints onto it and dipped a brush into one of them. He began with a bold stroke, tapering off into a thinner one. He looked like he was really happy. "So, Jack, what's been going on?"

"I dunno, Ang," said Jack. "Things have gotten…kind of complicated."

"In what way?"

"I don't really know. All I know is that we're getting older, things are changing, and I've been wondering if I want to do this when I'm older."

"Shen Gong Wu?"

"Yeah," said Jack. He'd told her all about Shen Gong Wu, even bringing the Monkey Staff as an example. That had been a fun session. "I mean, sure, now I'm 14 and I can do whatever I want, but can I do it when I'm older?"

Angela smiled. "You're very perceptive, Jack. Tell me, do you enjoy hunting Shen Gong Wu?" Jack nodded. "And are you an adult yet?" Jack shook his head. "Then, do what you feel is right for you."

Jack smiled. "You know, that's why I like these sessions. You make me feel like everything will be okay when I don't feel like everything will be okay."

Angela smiled. "Everything will be okay. But it all really depends how you feel, and if you're ready to embrace yourself, the true you."

Jack nodded, then went over and showed her his hair. The roots were palest white. "I'm letting the white grow back. I think…I think I'm finally ready to embrace me, even though I am different."

"We're making a breakthrough. Just so long as you don't…start up again."

Jack looked at her, his eyes sad. He walked back to his paints and picked the brush back up. "I try. Really, I do. Just…sometimes it becomes too much."

The hour passed, Angela and Jack chatting about his life and her life. As the hour drew to a close, Angela asked, "Jack, may I see what you've been working on?"

Jack picked the paper up and held it up. It used a lot of blacks and reds, Jack's two favorite colors. It showed a little child, in a pool of light, as dark, ghostly figures swam towards him. The child looked very frightened, and was clutching at a stuffed rabbit.

"It's a dream I had last night," said Jack. "More like a nightmare."

Angela patted him on the head. "We'll talk more about that next week. See you soon!" she said as Jack left.

Dojo flew off, the warriors on his back. They had been watching from his back and they'd heard what was going on with the Earring of Hearing, which allows you to hear through solid objects.

"Therapy? And what did she mean, 'start up again'?" asked Kimiko. "I'm worried."

"That's very out of character for you, Kim," said Rai. "Normally you don't give a crap about Jack Spicer."

"Yeah, well," said Kim.

"I, for one, am not feeling out of character at all," said Rai, crossing his arms, "therefore, I do not give a crap about Jack Spicer."

"There's always a time to be out of character," said Omi.

"Best stay out of this, pard," said Clay, steeling Omi. "This looks fierce."

"Omi's right!" said Kim. "There is a time to be out of character, and I think this is it! I think Jack might try something."

"Whatever, Kim. I'm gonna try getting a snack, then hitting the hay," said Rai, putting his arms behind his head.

THERAPYTHERAPYTHERAPY

Kimiko woke up. 'I can't sleep,' she thought. Looking at her digital clock, she saw 12:02. Nearly two hours since she'd first tried to get to sleep. She stood up and walked into the meditation chamber. She knew what she had to do.

She opened up the Shen Gong Wu vault and pulled out the Golden Tiger Claws. "Golden Tiger Claws!" She stepped into the portal.

When she stepped out, she was in front of the Spicer mansion. She saw a little window at the bottom of the house, obviously leading to the basement. It was lit. She tenetavely opened it and slid in.

Jack's back was to her, and he was on his knees, hunched over, emitting little cries of pain. "Jack?" she asked. He turned and saw her, and she caught sight of his face. It had cold, empty eyes and a twisted, psychopathic smile. He was shirtless and was dragging a knife across his arm. "Jack!" she cried, running to him.

His face immediately turned cold to match his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Jack," she sobbed. She pulled the knife from his hand and tossed it onto the floor. He grabbed for it.

"Let me go—let me do it—no more," he struggled. He collapsed into her open arms. "I don't want to be here anymore," he whispered.

"Don't go, Jack," she cried. "Don't go!"

He was fading. She pulled out her cell phone and started dialing 911. Jack grabbed her arm in one last attempt. "They won't understand…" he said.

"Then I'm taking you to the temple," she said. She pulled out her Shen Gong Wu and activated it. "Golden Tiger Claws!" The portal ripped open and she hefted him into it, along with herself. It opened again and they were outside her room. "Raimundo! Omi! Clay! Someone!" She attempted to rouse them, somewhat successfully.

"Kimiko, you sound more scared then a—" Clay stopped abruptly when he saw Jack.

"Girl, this had better be good," grumbled Rai in his cubicle. He stepped out and saw her covered in blood and Jack passed out. "Oh, my God! Omi! Wake up!" He ran into Omi's stall and shook him awake. They both came out and saw Kim and Jack.

"Someone help!" Kimiko yelled. "He won't last much longer if you all just stand there!"

They sprang into action. Clay pulled Jack from Kimiko and placed him on a spare cot. Omi ran off to try to find Master Fung. Kimiko pulled Jack's head into her lap and tried to wake him up, because sleep meant certain death. Rai mostly stood there, wringing his hands, saying, "Omigod, omigod, omigod."

Master Fung and Omi ran in. "Take him to the infirmary," he commanded, looking behind him. Several other monks came in, picked Jack up, and left. Master Fung stayed.

"Don't go!" she cried after him. The hidden tears began to fall. "Don't go."

"Young monk," said Master Fung, "you should explain some things to us."

THERAPYTHERAPYTHERAPY

"…and that's when you walked in," finished Kimiko quietly. Her face had hardened from the tears drying, and she was sitting in the meditation chambers with Master Fung, Omi, Rai, and Clay. She looked up. "I'm sorry I took a Shen Gong Wu and snuck out, Master Fung." She hung her head.

"On the contrary, young monk," said Master Fung, lifting her head up with his finger. "That is the true essence of the Tiger Instincts. Knowing when someone close to you is being harmed is one of the most important of the many components of Tiger Instincts. You followed your instincts, and you have probably saved a young man's life."

Kimiko looked up. "So he'll be all right?"

"I said probably," said Master Fung, sighing. "You can never tell with these things."

Kimiko hung her head again. "Oh."

Master Fung sighed again and picked himself up off the floor. "I will go see how young Jack Spicer is doing." He exited the chamber.

Kimiko started crying again. "Why are you crying again, Kimiko?" asked Omi, scooting over and placing his head on her shoulder.

"I don't want him to die," she replied. The response was slightly muffled because she had her head in her hands, but they could tell what she was saying, anyways.

Rai moved over to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "He won't die, Kim. Don't worry!"

"Why do you care," she replied, shrugging off his arm. "You 'don't give a crap about Jack Spicer.'"

Rai sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Finally, he decided to tell the truth. "I don't. But…I don't want him to die, either."

"Thanks for the honesty," said Kimiko sincerely. "I know I seem really out of character right now, but I don't want Spicer to die. I saw him, I found him…"

"Buck up, Kimiko," said Clay in that soothing Texas accent. "He'll be all right. I think we all experience something like this in our lifetime. Yours just came a little earlier then everyone else's."

"Thanks, you guys," said Kimiko, wiping her face. "It means a lot." She stood up with a determined look on her face. "I'm going to see Jack."

THERAPYTHERAPYTHERAPY

'Ugh,' thought Jack, rousing himself from a dreamless sleep. 'My head. My arms. Ow. Ugh.' He opened his eyes, hissing at the candle burning on the floor beside him. 'Where am I?' He pushed himself up onto an elbow. Doing that, he felt a weight on his legs move a little, and moan. He turned to look and saw Kimiko draped over his legs, asleep. In a very fitful sleep, but still asleep. He whispered her name and she roused, opening her eyes slowly. Seeing him awake, she shot up.

"Jack!" she cried, hugging him around the neck. "You're alive! My God, you have no idea how scared I was, don't ever do that again, my God, you're alive! You're alive!"

"Ow!" cried Jack, shying away. "My head!"

She removed herself and settled on the side of the cot. "Sorry." She looked at him, her eyes filled with confusion. "Why?"

Jack sighed. "The night I did it, I had…another nightmare. Only worse. Much worse. It started with me, and I was in my bedroom, and I was a child. I only ever had one friend, my little stuffed pink bunny, Shoelaces. I was sitting in a pool of light, and there were figures coming towards me. They were shadowed beings, enough to make even the strongest man cry out in fright, much less me. Normally the nightmare stops there, but tonight, it continued."

"You've had this nightmare multiple times?"

Jack nodded mutely and continued, "They came near me, and they started moving their hands and chanting, and it felt like a part of my soul was being torn out. Then…the worst…they took off their hoods. Normally, I see my parents, but last night, I saw…you. And Raimundo, and Omi, and Clay, and you looked like…you remember when Omi was taken over by Chase?" She nodded. "Yeah, you all looked like that. It scared me out of my mind, and I was crying, and clutching at Shoelaces, and you all didn't do anything. I woke up then. And…I felt like I didn't want to be here anymore, since the people that are the closest to being my friend anyone's ever been, you all, might turn out to be like my parents. They're never there, and they never care about me, I come home bleeding and limping and the only one there is Wuya, and she doesn't care, she never cares. She just screams at me about being weak until my ears ring! Nobody cares. Ever. I have to take care of myself. Somehow…it just doesn't seem right. I want someone to care. I need someone to care." Jack started to cry silent tears. Even in the soft glow of the candlelight she could see them. "I'm 14. I need a parent. I need a friend. I have neither. I only have Shoelaces." He began to cry big, raking sobs. "My only friend!"

Kimiko threw her arms around his neck again and he buried his head in her shoulders, crying and crying. She just stroked his hair, crying with him, but hers were silent. After sitting there for a bit, he lifted up his head and looked at her. She gave him a little half-smile. "Better?"

He nodded. "Thanks. I guess…I just needed someone who would listen to me. Angela's always telling me that I need to stop bottling up all my feelings and accept the real me. I guess that's why I go to her sessions, because she'll listen to me. Oh," he added. "Angela's my—"

"Therapist," finished Kimiko. "We know. We followed you after you just left the Earring of Hearing. She said you might try something. That's why I came to see you when you were…you know. I couldn't sleep and I was worried."

"Well," said Jack after a pause. "I suppose people were bound to discover Angela some time." He sighed again. "So much for doctor-patient confidentiality."

"You need to rest," she said, laying him back down. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay." She smiled at him and started to leave.

"Kimiko?" he asked timidly. She turned to him and he said, "I didn't have any night mares when I kidnapped you and you slept in my lair, and I didn't have any nightmares when you were sleeping on the end of my bed just now. I only don't have nightmares when you are here, so…can you sleep here tonight? Please?"

"You don't have to beg. Of course I'll stay here." She began to fish around for a pillow.

When she couldn't find one, Jack suggested, "I know I sound really gawky and awkward, but…we could always share," he suggested with just a hint of hope in his voice. "This cot's really big."

Kimiko looked at him. "You've been through a lot today. I'll make sure you have no nightmares." She snuggled up next to him and he smiled. It was times like these…

When her breathing was even and he was certain she was asleep, he leaned over and whispered, "I love you, Kimiko Tohomiko." He kissed her softly on the cheek and rolled over, deciding that he wanted to go to sleep before anything else could happen.

Unbeknownst to him, Kimiko was never asleep. She sat up and poked him in the shoulder. He turned over and she whispered, "I love you too, Jack Spicer." He grinned an almost face splitting grin and she leaned down and kissed him. It was a brief kiss, but still sweet and emotional. She pulled away and whispered, "Goodnight," and rolled over to go back to sleep.

Jack grinned again and rolled over himself. Now, he was certain, he'd never have nightmares again.


End file.
